Zimbabwe Archbishop Resigns Over Alleged Scandal
A Catholic archbishop who has fiercely opposed Zimbabwe's president has resigned from his position following an alleged adultery scandal.
The resignation of Zimbabwean archbishop Pius Ncube was submitted and accepted by the head of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Benedict XVI, the Vatican announced Tuesday.
In a one-sentence statement on the resignation, the Holy See said Ncube's resignation had been accepted under an article of church law that covers clergy who can no longer perform their duties either for health reasons or, as in cases in the past, when they have brought their office into disrepute.
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The latest development follows the publication of what Zimbabwe's state-run media claimed to be photos of the archbishop of Bulawayo in bed with a woman.
Zimbabwean state-owned newspapers the Herald and Chronicle had run photos in July of the archbishop under the headlines "Pius Ncube Shamed" and "Pius in Sex Scandal," respectively.
Ncube's supporters say the report was part of a government smear campaign against the archbishop for his activities against Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe.
Ncube has been one of the most outspoken opponents of Mugabe and has accused his government of human rights abuses, persecution and suppressing political dissent.
Last month, Zimbabwe's Roman Catholic bishops offered their support to the archbishop, saying that he had done a lot in "exposing the evils" of Mugabe's regime.
"For years, he has courageously and with moral authority advocated social justice and political action to overcome the grievous crisis facing our country," they said in a full-page advertisement in the country's Herald newspaper.
In March, Ncube said he was ready to face bullets in anti-government protests to help bring democratic change in the southern African nation, which is mired in a deep economic and political crisis.
Regarding the latest developments, the archbishop refused to comment. His lawyer, Nick Matonzi, however, when asked if the photos were authentic, said: "What I can say is that we are contesting the allegations definitely."
The husband of the woman who Ncube is accused of having an affair with has sued the archbishop for 20 billion Zimbabwean dollars – about $80,000 on Zimbabwe's black market, which has a more realistic exchange rate than the one set by the government, according to International Herald Tribune.
